Xueyan Zuqin
Xueyan Zuqin
1216 – 1287
Xueyan Zuqin was a Yangqi line master of the Song and Yuan dynasties who played an important role in the transmission of the Yangqi lineage. He was the teacher of Gaofeng Yuanmiao, through whom the emphasis on great doubt and intense practice was systematized into a formal methodology. His teaching prepared the ground for the later development of Linji practice in both China and Japan.
Xueyan's contribution to the tradition lies in his deepening of the Yangqi approach to koan practice. He emphasized that the student must bring the entirety of their being—body, mind, and spirit—to the investigation of the koan, leaving nothing in reserve. This totality of engagement became a hallmark of the mature Linji tradition and remains central to Rinzai Zen practice today.
Teachings
- dialogueXueyan Tests a Student
A monk came to Xueyan and said, "I have come from a distant province specifically to receive your teaching." Xueyan said, "Why did you leave where you were?" The monk said, "To seek the Dharma." Xueyan said, "The Dharma in your home province—was it deficient somehow?" The monk was speechless. Xueyan said, "You have traveled a thousand miles carrying a load that was never yours to begin with. Put it down."
Master Record Sources
- datesZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
1216-1287
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Xueyan Zuqin
- schoolZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Yangqi line
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Wuzhun Shifan